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Monday, May 11, 2015

11 May - Blogs I'm Following

With summer just around the corner, now is a good time to start thinking about buttoning up your home for maximum efficiency! This is especially true for those in areas of the country that experience extreme heat, which results in frequent overexertion of air conditioners. Air conditioning units consume energy in the form of electricity. When a home has a significant amount of solar heat gain with uncovered windows, this puts a greater strain on the unit resulting in more energy consumption. These exposed windows act almost like an oven, and literally heat up the inside of your hom...more »

Norway’s Oil Riches. Canada’s Poverty. Guess Why? *Written by Robin Mathews/May 2015* Finally, and one might say suddenly, Norway’s experience, and Canada’s, with Oil Revenue Savings are under a bright light of comparison. It’s a painful comparison … for Canada. Especially since (a) Canada has far greater fossil fuel production and reserves than Norway, and (b) Canada began operating a non-renewable resources fund well before the Norwegians. Today Norway has a trillion dollars in its reserve fund and no deficit, combined with excellent universal social insurance. Alberta i...more »

[image: image] Good news. Religions of all faiths are dying. Being killed, says Tufts philosopher of science Daniel Dennett, by the increasing openness of the internet: *In the March issue of Scientific American, Deb Roy and I **compare this to the Cambrian Explosion* *. The Cambrian Explosion happened 540 million years ago, when there was a sudden, very dramatic explosion of different life forms in response to some new change in the world. Oxford zoologist Andrew Parker argues that the increased transparency of the ocean made eyesight possible, and this changed everything: now ...more »

*Video - *What is the likelihood that an idea supported by the majority of Americans will become law? Researchers at Princeton University looked into this question to show if the US government really represents the public. The post Research: Does the Government Really Represent the People? appeared first on Waking Times.

*The Breakfast Blend is a light roast, and so has practically no flavor (is breakfast time a "no flavor" zone?), but Green Mountain sells a quite drinkable medium-roast Vermont Country Blend -- and a dark-roast French Roast for people who've been trained by Starbucks to prefer their coffee beans roasted till they screech for mercy.* *by Ken* Since my only contact with Keurig-style coffee-making is in the office, where we have a very nice machine, but one that's apparently first-generation (and in our office we don't do a whole lot of upgrading). I had never encountered such a beas...more »

Beloved is back from one of her journeys and is seeing to the rhubarb and the animals. Here are the Welsummers, still good looking and productive at age three. They are laid back and curious. New Khaki Campbell ducklings have been brought home and are settled in the "rabbit" cages to grow up a bit before being introduced to the flock. Half of them we are raising for a friend who lives nearby. She'll take them in a month or so. A surprise rainstorm has developed and is delivering a third of an inch today and another third of an inch tomorrow. I had thought we'd see some "Oregon ...more »

"At the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, a mere 27,000 light-years away, lies a black hole with 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Fondly known as Sagittarius A* (pronounced A-star), the Milky Way's black hole is fortunately mild-mannered compared to the central black holes in distant active galaxies, much more calmly consuming material around it. From time to time it does flare-up, though. An outburst lasting several hours is captured in this series of premier X-ray images from the orbiting Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). *Click image for larger size.* Launched la...more »

*"Eagle Poem" * "To pray you open your whole self To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon To one whole voice that is you. And know there is more That you can't see, can't hear Can't know except in moments Steadily growing, and in languages That aren't always sound but other Circles of motion. Like eagle that Sunday morning Over Salt River. Circles in blue sky In wind, swept our hearts clean With sacred wings. We see you, see ourselves and know That we must take the utmost care And kindness in all things. Breathe in, knowing we are made of All this, and breathe, knowing We are truly blessed bec...more »

*"That Cottage of Darkness"* by Chet Raymo "Theresa asked those of us who count ourselves agnostic to comment on Julian Barnes' new book "Nothing To Be Frightened Of," reviewed by Garrison Keillor in the New York Times Book Review. Barnes, a professed agnostic, writes about his obsessive preoccupation with death at age sixty-two. Apparently (according to Keillor) it is a rather gloomy book, redeemed by affectionate family reminiscences. Since I have not read the book, I cannot comment on it, but I think what Theresa wants from us is testimony as to how agnostics deal with the prosp...more »

*“Mind Control Through Emotional Domination: * *How We're All Being Manipulated By The "Crisis of the NOW"* by Mike Adams “What you're about to read here is a revealing look at the psychological mechanism presently being used by government and media to achieve near-absolute control over the population. I'm calling the concept the "crisis of the NOW," and understanding this is a lot like taking the RED pill. The "crisis of the now" involves an incessant, strategic bombardment of the population with a never-ending stream of contrived crises that demand immediate attention in the pres...more »

Reuters *Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast:* *Has ISIS Lost Its Head? Power Struggle Erupts with Al-Baghdadi Seriously Wounded* *As defectors confirm reports that al-Baghdadi is still in bad shape from a March bombing, Syrian and Iraqi factions vie for influence in the so-called Islamic State.* *URFA, Turkey — Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State’s leader, has been moved from Iraq to the Syrian city of Raqqa, the terror army’s de facto capital, amid tight security two months after sustaining serious shrapnel wounds that left his spine damaged and his left leg immobile, say jihadi de...more »

*“5 Lies Republicans Needs You To Believe About Poverty”* by @LOLGOP "The only thing more disturbing about hearing Jeb Bush say that George W. Bush is his closest foreign policy advisor is having to endure Paul Ryan pretending to care about about alleviating poverty. Paul Ryan doesn’t just get the facts about poverty wrong — “Mr. Ryan’s poverty report, like his famous budget plan, is a con job,” The New York Times‘ Paul Krugman wrote — he creates a narrative that purposely stigmatizes the poor. When he released his first budget plan that would send millions below the poverty line, ...more »

*“To the Class of 2015 – You Chumps!”* by Bill Bonner “A long, long time ago, On graduation day, You handed me your book, I signed this way... “Roses are red, my love, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, my love, And boy are we screwed...” – With apologies to Bobby Vinton* “Last year at about this time, we waited for the phone to ring. Not calling were thousands of universities in need of someone to give the annual commencement speech. Every year, we prepare an appropriate graduation speech. And every year, with the unanimous accord of America’s institutions of higher learning, we d...more »

[image: 276464_137539366339987_1226509_n] *Our friends at the Auckland Uni Economic Group are scraping scraping the last barrel with their guest speaker this Thursday evening. Here’s their update …* Amid all the commemorations of the centenary of the First World War, one question has largely remained unanswered. One that, with free trade deals very much on the agenda - even with dictatorships - still resonates today. It was said by classical advocates of free trade like Frederic Bastiat and Richard Cobden that trade itself is a civilising influence - that *“if goods don’t c...more »

Ohhhhhhh! V E R Y Interesting my friends!!!! This article was perfectly timed in my opinion- appearing exactly when I needed it for tomorrow night's One People Roundtable Discussion. So convenient that...... unless of course it's appearance is merely the creation of my own mind in this simulation matrix. ....just joking! We will definitely dig into this tomorrow night on the Roundtable Discussion. Joining Lisa Harrison and I this week will be Duncan O'Finioan and Bradley Loves and Nick McKenny. We have a LOT of rabbit holes to dive down, including ancient history and histo...more »

The Socialist Revolt That America Forgot: A History Lesson for Bernie Sanders While imbibing today's reporting snooze, we should awaken to some real facts being discussed. I'm with Paul Craig Roberts on his analysis of the bin Laden "assassination." Sorry Sy. But you've been had. Used. It's embarrassing for us all. But it's only one more "necessary for U.S. defense wars" lie. The giveaway

*Politico*: *A Saudi snub?* *Saudi King Salman will skip Camp David summit, sending his crown prince instead.* *Call it the “Saudi snub.” Or, if you are the White House, don’t.* *After Saudi Arabia announced Sunday that its king had cancelled plans to attend President Barack Obama’s summit of Gulf Arab states at Camp David this week, the White House raced to snuff out talk of a royal snub.* *On Monday, Obama administration officials strongly disputed reports of tension with the monarch, arguing that Saudi King Salman is merely preoccupied with his country’s military campaign in Y...more »

Check out that caption from this article... ...and then here's a comical story about a family from Dallas trying to make it in the brutal world of .... Tienmu. I hear some places are like a ten minute walk from the metro. h/t to @TaiwanExplorer on Twitter _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

I know this is very short notice... But considering my busy work schedule and Whitewraithe still injured... We figured that this was the best time available for both of us to do a live Turbulent Times show.... Here is the link to the program... http://www.blogtalkradio.com/turbulenttimes/2015/05/12/turbulent-times-51115-episode-16--mars-rover-missions And the live feed link: http://tobtr.com/s/7607111 We will also have the call in line open at 1-3478572203... Wraithe is still unable to get her Skype link going..... We will also have the chat room open at www.turbulenttimes.chatango...more »

*Karl Sharro, The Atlantic*:* The Confused Person's Guide to Yemen* *It’s simply a Saudi-Iranian-American-Yemeni-al-Qaeda civil/proxy war.* *“What the hell is happening in Yemen?” is now one of the most urgent geopolitical questions in the Middle East. Sadly, few people are qualified or knowledgeable enough to answer this pressing question. Most experts agree that most experts can’t give you a straight answer. The reality is Yemen is a complex place that is very hard to understand for outsiders, and even more so for insiders. Indeed, most of the people asking what is happening in ...more »

*Venus*, by Michael Newberry, 2008, oil on linen, 48 x 48 inches *Guest post by **Michael Newberry* Big in the news this week is the draw Mohammad Contest, and I couldn't be more proud of Bosch Fawstin aka Pig Man. He is a hero for risking his life to fight for free speech. The hoopla surrounding the issue is rooted in the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish commandment that "... thou shall not make graven images..." I know everyone has heard about that concept, but I doubt people understand how it is a virus designed to destroy your love, unique individuality, freedom, and the highes...more »

*Now-former NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, seen here heading for his office, is one GOP senator who can stop slinking around Albany dodging reporters now that he's bitten the bullet and stepped down from his leadership post.* *"Many Republican senators appeared eager to avoid discussing Mr. Skelos’s future in recent days. To avoid reporters, some even zigzagged around the Capitol using back doors and passageways."* *-- from "Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader,Vacates Post" by the NYT's Thomas Kaplan* *by Ken* I tell you, if the NYS Legislature just put in tables, they ...more »

*Washington Post:* *Intense clashes in Yemen endanger prospects of humanitarian cease-fire* *CAIRO — Clashes between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led alliance intensified Monday ahead of a planned humanitarian cease-fire, with coalition air raids pounding targets in Yemen’s capital and the Houthis claiming to have downed a Moroccan fighter jet in the north.* *Also Monday, a Saudi-owned television network reported that the Saudi military was sending a “strike force” of tanks and artillery to the Yemeni border.* *The fighting could jeopardize a five-day “humanitarian pause” ...more »

Elections may throw up surprises, but BBC Radio 4's *Sunday *will always remain a surprise-free zone*...* Now, I suspect many of you aren't overly interested in *Sunday* (with Ed Stourton) - this quiet, understated (boring?) Radio 4 staple. But I am, and the programme seems to me to reflect (unexcitingly) many of the BBC's biases at their most flagrant... *[...even though, being a quiet, understated (boring?) person myself, I actually rather enjoy listening to it, and, yes, I do like Ed...]* So, please read on (and please don't fall asleep if you can help it). Here there be plent...more »

I really didn't want to be writing this. At the very least I was hoping to have a Kremlinological geek out over possible coalition combinations. But no. The worst came to pass. Not only were the Conservatives the largest party, but contrary to everything I've written about them this last two-and-a-half years they scraped the thinnest of majorities. The lesson there is never think the Tories win elections from the centre ground when they can rally irrationality and fear to their standard. So here we are. Five more years of Osborne, May, Shapps, Hunt, IBS, Hammond, Soubry, Fallon ......more »

A friend visits me now and then to point a video camera at my face and ask me questions. I, modestly, reply. And he posts them in YouTube. The most recent one was posted just yesterday. It's called the purpose of history. Just go to youtube, and type graeme decarie in the search bar. ____________________________________________________________________________ Something strange is going on at Irving press. The news stories have always been dominated by trivia. But it's been getting worse for some weeks. And foreign news has almost disappeared. I'm not sure whether this is a deliberate...more »

*Kryon on What is Love* By annamerkaba on April 21, 2013 https://sacredascensionmerkaba.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/kryon-on-what-is-love/ This is an excerpt from my channeling of Kryon on What Love Is… Here is what he had so say: ”Love. Is an all encompassing energetic vibration of such magnitude and proportions that it can move mountains, change worlds, create, transmute, transform, and break through blockages. The power of love is such that it transcends time, transcends dimensions, dissolving anything and everything that stands in its way to create that which is desired for ...more »

File photo of an Alvand class frigate of the Iranian Navy. Middle East Monitor *Sputnik*: *Iran Warns Off US, French Planes, Warships in Gulf of Aden* *An Iranian destroyer on Saturday warned off US and French forces in international waters in the strategic Gulf of Aden.* *The Alborz destroyer and the Bushehr support ship are currently sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, to provide security for Iranian and international merchant vessels.* *On Saturday night, when the Iranian fleet was cruising 30 miles off the ...more »

*"THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER'S NEW AGE"* Live Kryon Channelling Atlanta, Georgia FEBRUARY 14, 2015 *As channelled by Lee Carroll for Kryon* *The information below is free and available for you to print out, copy and distribute as you wish. The Copyright, however, prohibits sale in any form except by the publisher* To help the reader, this channelling has been revisited [by Lee and Kryon] to provide even clearer understanding. Sometime information is even added. Often what happens live has implied energy within it, which carries a kind of communication that the printed page does no...more »

*Jon Rappoport* - Logic is a sword. Learning its many uses, while still young, creates formidable students and citizens. The post Propaganda is the Art of Overwhelming Logic appeared first on Waking Times.

*MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015What Dylan Byers said:* Friend, do you think it would be OK to have a President Walker? If not, you need to start wondering, right this minute, about the attitudes toward Hillary Clinton within the national press. Four cycles back, the liberal world just sat there and took it when the press corps staged a twenty-month war against Candidate Gore which sent George Bush to the White House. Are we liberals really prepared to roll over and take it again? We’ll be discussing that question all week. For today, you might want to consider what Dylan Byers said. Byers...more »

I used to be terrible about checking the pockets of clothes before I threw them into the wash. About a year after we got married, I accidentally washed my husband's wallet. It took us forever to get everything dry again with a blow dryer. Ever since then, I make sure whoever is doing the laundry checks everything thoroughly before dumping it into the washing machine this usually means that crayons, change and small toys float all over my laundry room. I knew that I needed a change jar to keep everything in and I love the movie Home Alone, I couldn't resist the pop culture referenc...more »

*The Guardian*: *Five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen expected to begin on Tuesday* *Houthi rebels claim to have shot down coalition warplane on eve of truce first proposed by Saudi foreign minister to allow much-needed aid to reach civilians* *A five-day ceasefire in Yemen is expected to begin on Tuesday, offering much-needed respite for civilians who have endured almost seven weeks of Saudi-led air strikes against Iranian-backed rebels.* *The humanitarian ceasefire proposed last week by the Saudi foreign minister was accepted over the weekend by the forces allied to the Hou...more »

*VOA:** Homeland Security Chief: Global Terror Threat Has Entered ‘New Phase’ * *WASHINGTON - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says the fight against global terrorism has entered a new phase with groups like the Islamic State (IS) successfully using social media to inspire others to join them or to launch domestic attacks. Johnson’s comments Sunday on the ABC program This Week followed the revelation that federal law enforcement has hundreds of investigations underway to determine who might pose a threat of homegrown terrorism.Secretary Johnson noted the Islamic Stat...more »

Keith Harper, member of the Cherokee Nation, opens address from US delegation to Human Rights Council today Watch video below: 3 hours and 30 minutes: http://webtv.un.org/watch/usa-review-22nd-session-of-universal-periodic-review/4229106421001 Countries of the world detail US human rights abuses -- while US officials paint a picture of OZ By Brenda Norrell Censored News The world is

*Video - *The Moneyless Man talks about the reasons why he chooses to live without money and the social and ecological consequences of a money-based civilization. The post The Moneyless Man Explains Why He Chooses to Live Without Money appeared first on Waking Times.

*Sen. Bernie Sanders announces his candidacy (viaThom Hartmann, who adds his own comments)* *by Gaius Publius* In too many places I've heard the speculative voices saying the Sanders candidacy isn't serious — that Bernie Sanders is running to "make a statement," or to "move Clinton to the right" (whatever that means in this world of post-2008 promises), or something. So I did some digging, starting with this, from USA Today (my emphasis): *Bernie Sanders: 'I am running in this election to win'* ... "I've been traveling around the country for the last year trying to ascertain whe...more »

*The News Hub:* ISIS threatens Cyber Attack on US Targets at 2PM today *This is one of many times the group has threatened using social media ISIS social media accounts are claiming they will perform a large cyber-attack on the United States at 2pm Eastern today. While specific targets have not been identified, it is possible that the group has identified vulnerable systems since they have named a precise time for the attack.The threat, named “Message to America” was released on a Twitter account early this morning and was posted in Arabic:* *Update:* ISIS Hackers Plan "Messag...more »

*Reuters:* *Libyan military shells Turkish cargo ship, crew member killed* ** Turkey says vessel was carrying plasterboard to Tobruk* ** Libyan government has accused Turkey of sending arms to foes (Adds rival government statement)* *BENGHAZI, Libya/ANKARA, May 11 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government said on Monday they shelled a Turkish ship off the Libyan coast after it was warned not to approach, and one crew member was killed in what Turkey described as a "contemptible attack".* *Libya is in a state of violent factional chaos with two rival ...more »

*New York Times:** More Than 1,000 Refugees Land on Malaysian Resort Island* *BANGKOK — More than 1,000 refugees, including many women and children, came ashore in Malaysia early on Monday in what appears to be a sign of an accelerated exodus from western Myanmar and Bangladesh.* *The landing of 1,051 people near a hotel beach on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi on Monday came after 582 arrived Sunday on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.* *The Malaysian and Indonesian authorities say the refugees are a mix of Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingya, a persecuted and stateless Musl...more »

*"5 Nonsensical Right-Wing Statements in the Past Week"* The reality deniers are out in full force. By Janet Allon *"1. Fox’s Dr. Keith Ablow: 'Embryos are people, and men should be able to veto women’s abortions.' *For some reason, Fox’s resident men’s rights activist, “Dr.” Keith Ablowhard, thinks the world should give a damn about what he thinks women should do with their bodies and their frozen embryos. Ablow got a chance to express his Neanderthal views on reproductive rights on Fox’s “Outnumbered” last week, during which the hot topic of Sofia Vergara’s fight with ex-fiance Ni...more »

*Recall Canadian fury over the temporary foreign workers program?* Business importing foreign workers, with help of our government & Canadian taxpayer dollars The temporary foreign workers program is a subsidy to business, make no mistake about it! The program aids business by keeping wage costs down when they would not otherwise be. If not for the TFWP, wages would have likely increased in order for business to attract workers Can’t have that. That might make Canadians a bit more prosperous and our government is much more interested in keeping us down! *HuffPost* *The Tories incen...more »

Further to Craig’s John Whittingdale post, one or two papers have got the wind up about the BBC’s perilous future in the hands of the new UK culture secretary. The Telegraph says: "Tories ‘declare war in BBC’ with John Whittingdale appointment." The Guardian asks:“What will John Whittingdale do with the BBC now he has a free hand?” Last October he described the BBC licence fee as “worse than the poll tax..." From the BBC website: Figures from the media and arts worlds have been reacting to his appointment on Twitter: 1. *The Spectator associate editor Toby Young wrote*: ...more »

There's a very interesting piece at *Spiked *by Frank Furedi (h/t Guest Who at *Biased BBC*) which is well worth reading in its entirety but from which I'll quote the opening pair of paragraphs: For me, the most memorable moment of the General Election campaign occurred a few days before voting. I was listening to the Radio 4 Today programme, which was running a feature on the issue of immigration in Northern Ireland. The presenter said that the traditional hostilities and tensions between Catholics and Protestant had been suspended, giving way to a new division between the Irish ...more »

*and I have absolutely nothing to say.* *Except...* The internet is becoming a toxic stew of crapola that doesn't improve one's life in any way, shape, or form. You read something and then you have to spend 2 hours trying to verify whatever it was you just read. And trust me (said the spider to the fly), conservatives can be just as guilty of rash posts and silly statements as libtards. Every year I tell myself that I will be completely caught up with my gardening by June 1st so I can spend the rest of the summer pretending to be a rich plantation owner, while sitting around eati...more »

Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters *Washington Post:* *The Nigerian military is so broken, its soldiers are refusing to fight* *LAGOS, Nigeria — As the Nigerian military battled Boko Haram over the past year, scores of soldiers made a decision that would put their lives in grave danger — they refused to fight.* *It wasn’t for lack of bravery, they said. It was for lack of weapons.* *At least 66 of the soldiers have been found guilty of mutiny and sentenced to death by firing squad. Dozens more remain in detention, awaiting trial. The Nigerian government describes them as cowards. Their suppo...more »

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, right, at a session of the Greek Parliament. Finance officials from Greece and other European nations will meet Monday on its debt. Credit Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters *Business Insider*: *Greece's latest payment deadline is in 24 hours — and Athens is desperate for positive news from Europe* *Greece is at the top of the agenda at the Eurogroup meeting once again. The finance ministers of the eurozone are gathering in Brussels on Monday, just 24 hours before Greece's latest major debt repayment.* *On Tuesday, Greece has a €767 million ($856.6 million...more »

*VOA*: *Airstrikes Continue in Yemen Ahead of Cease-fire* *Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition continued airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen Monday, a day before a humanitarian cease-fire is due to go into effect.* *The jets bombed the Saada region near the Saudi border, as well as Taiz in southwestern Yemen and the oil-producing Marib province in the east.* *Saudi and U.S. officials announced the cease-fire proposal last week to allow badly needed food, fuel and medicine to reach civilians in Yemen. The Houthis said Sunday they had accepted the plan, which is sch...more »

A man uses a computer at an internet cafe in Hefei, Anhui province, March 16, 2012. *VOA:* *China, US Have Weapons for Cyberassault * *WASHINGTON — As the World Wide Web has evolved and grown more complicated, so have the tools and techniques of cyber-espionage and military action.* *Perhaps nowhere is this evolution more clearly seen than in China’s recently disclosed “Great Cannon” and its similarities to a tool reportedly possessed by the United States known as “QUANTUM.”* *Depending on how they are wielded, both can serve as a high-tech tool for spies, intimidating weapons ...more »

CawRANT Events #5 It's another dull and gray *Monday Morning* and I'm in the mood to *RANT! *Amazingly, there's never a shortage of topics to rant about. The first on my list is the *Canadian Army Recruitment ads on TV.* I've been watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Canadian Ministry of Defense is a high paying advertiser for the hockey games. Just like in American sports...where the US military places a lot of ads. It never used to be the case in Canada, but ever since we became a five eyes vassal of the States some years ago now...*everything*, and I mean *everything* is ...more »

So, John Whittingdale, one of the BBC's sternest critics in parliament, has been made the new Culture Secretary. (A very interesting move by David Cameron that.) And the increasingly cack-handed BBC has already scored an absolutely idiotic own goal in response. As the *Daily Mail *reports (though it looks as if Guido Fawkes may have got there first)... ...some trigger-happy buffoon in the BBC Press Office thought it appropriate, on hearing the news of the new Culture Secretary's appointment, to re-tweet an attack on Mr Whittingdale on the BBC's official Press Office Twitter acco...more »

*Paige Bartholomew - *Forgiving yourself can be a tough one because the person who feels angry, and the person you're angry with, is the same person - YOU! The post 5 Quick Steps to Forgiving Yourself appeared first on Waking Times.

Neocons have successfully taken over both mainstream political parties in Washington. Obama’s administration is infested with the likes of: Secretary of War Ashton Carter who wants confrontation with Russia and "preventive war” against North Korea and Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland who is anti-Russian and was instrumental in toppling Ukraine's elected president just over a year ago. The neocons are reigniting Cold War hysteria. Anyone in the west that speaks out against this provocative US-NATO chaos plan is “Putinized” in a classic replay of 1950’s style red-bait...more »

Neocons have successfully taken over both mainstream political parties in Washington. Obama’s administration is infested with the likes of: Secretary of War Ashton Carter who wants confrontation with Russia and "preventive war” against North Korea and Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland who is anti-Russian and was instrumental in toppling Ukraine's elected president just over a year ago. The neocons are reigniting Cold War hysteria. Anyone in the west that speaks out against this provocative US-NATO chaos plan is “Putinized” in a classic replay of 1950’s style red-ba...more »

Sunday's Washington Post edition had a very interesting article on Obama's efforts to renew the 1954 Atomic Energy Act of 1954 in order to sell US nuclear technology to China. I've paraphrased most of the article and included key excerpts, marked by quotations to illustrate how the nuclear complex's desire for replication eclipses nuclear proliferation concerns. Mufson, Steven (2015, May 10) Obama’s quiet nuclear deal with China raises proliferation concerns. The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obamas-quiet-nuclear-deal-with-china-raises-proliferatio...more »

ATTEMPTED CORPORATE HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF “6 NAY” Posted on May 11, 2015 Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. May 11, 2015. Haudenosaunee Development [HDI] is the administrative arm of Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council of Chiefs [HCCC]. It is the Masonic longhouse at Six Nations. Two secret Engagement Agreements were made with Samsung for wind and solar power on Rotinoshonni land in 2013 and

*New York Times*:* Navy Pilot’s Death Reveals Everyday Perils of Military Aviation* *WASHINGTON — All the Navy recovered after Lt. Nathan Poloski’s fighter jet collided in midair with another jet on a training mission in the western Pacific in September were his flight helmet and a few bits of debris. The 26-year-old pilot, who was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, died one month before the ship steamed into the Persian Gulf and began flying combat missions against the Islamic State.Lieutenant Poloski’s body and his F/A-18C Hornet were never found in waters nearl...more »

*Merkel to Putin: "I came to say to the Russian people: I bow my head before the millions of casualties of the war which was caused by Germany."* - Dozens of world leaders attended the weekend Moscow events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory over fascism in Europe. However the US, UK, France and other Russian WW II allies refused to join citing Moscow's alleged invasion of Ukraine as justification for their absence. Clearly Obama pressured NATO allies not to attend. One Italian media outlet noted, "The parade was an impactful event that also proved tha...more »

Yesterday morning, I was a guest on Bloodlines with Pastor Eli James, a radio program broadcast on *Euro Folk Radio*. Pastor James and I focused our discussion on our awakenings to the Christian Identity message, along with the well-established historical, archeological, and scriptural basis of Christian Identity. We also discussed Pastor James's excellent essay *Explaining Christian Identity to White Nationalists and Neo-Pagans*. Next Sunday we will conclude this discussion. You can download the entire program *here*.

An MV-22 Osprey sits on the deck waiting for members of the 27th Infantry Brigade, 7th Iraqi Infantry Division and Marines with Military in Transition Team 0720 load up. Courtesy of Boeing *Clay Dillow, Fortune*: *U.S. companies are making a killing on foreign military sales* *Ongoing tensions in Europe, Asia and the Middle East keep defense dollars flowing.* *With violent conflict and geopolitical tension rampant across the globe, U.S. military contractors are finding willing buyers for their wares across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, even as legislative wrangling and the l...more »

A rebel walks in front of a factory destroyed during recent shelling, in the town of Nizhnaya Krinka, eastern Ukraine, September 23, 2014 (Reuters / Marko Djurica) *RT*:* Kiev seeks $350bn damages from Russia for ‘aggression’* *Russia has to pay Ukraine $350 billion in damages, a top government official said in an interview. Kiev is accusing Russia of invading its territory, a claim Moscow denies.* *“At a certain point Russia will pay,” Ukrainian Deputy Economy Development Minister Aleksandr Borovik told Channel 5. “We need to calculate, we need to be ready to lobby it wherever we...more »

[image: nadis are energy channels that carry prana life force throughout our body] What i find useful is the idea that a little bit of what we describe as spiritual practice will go a long way. Be aware and find a daily practice that stimulates. Yet do not allow yourself to obsess either. My own experience is that this far too quickly leads to diminishing returns. The most important aspect of personal development is to focus on intention and let the spirit make useful modifications. A few exercises such as the set below will help you focus while you con...more »

Prophetic utterances unfortunately gather enthusiasts and inform imaginations. Worse they clothe themselves in ambiguity to strengthen their claims. At no time in history has it been impossible to argue timeliness for a prophecy of some sort or the other. It is my opinion, now that we clearly understand the physical nature of the human spirit and that most spirits are at best waiting for another trip into the physical tier we reside in, that much prophecy is dangerously mischievous and the informant is not anyone's friend. The second problem is that time itself is effect...more »

Only a day after President Obama huffily and falsely accused Elizabeth Warren of lying (for what he called purely selfish and political reasons) about the democracy-gutting measures in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he was exposed for allegedly telling a pretty gruesome lie of his own. According to Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Obama essentially ordered the execution of Osama bin Laden while he was a prisoner of the Pakistanis. Bin Laden wasn't holed up in a heavily weaponized and guarded secret bunker, plotting the next al Qaeda attack. He was alone, help...more »

Global Research, RINF, Countercurrents https://twitter.com/colin_todhunter Today in the UK, people are waking up to their first week of a five-year rule under a Conservative majority government. It’s been the first time the Tories have managed to form such a government since 1992. Only 37 percent of those who bothered to vote actually voted Conservative. In fact, the current administration is in government with 24 percent of support from all those who were eligible to vote. Under the UK’s ‘first past the post system’, the Scottish Nationalist party gained 56 seats with 4.8 percent...more »

The Killing of Osama bin LadenBy Seymour M. Hersh It’s been four years since a group of US Navy Seals assassinated Osama bin Laden in a night raid on a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The killing was the high point of Obama’s first term, and a major factor in his re-election. The White House still maintains that the mission was an all-American affair, and that the senior generals of Pakistan’s army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) were not told of the raid in advance. This is false, as are many other elements of the Obama administration’s account. The Whit...more »

*MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015Part 1—A comical point of reference:* Ruth Marcus is fully on board with the latest consensus scandal. Marcus is a columnist at the Washington Post. Some Fridays, she substitutes for Mark Shields on the PBS NewsHour, serving as the liberal voice on the weekly political round-up. As such, Marcus virtually defines a major wing of our journalistic elite. Needless to say, she’s fully on board with the latest consensus scandal. In this instance, elite consensus involves a field Marcus knows little about. As she made clear in yesterday’s Post, she’s on board concer...more »

The war in Iraq is obviously dominating the headlines, but the country is facing a number of other pressing issues at the same time. The United States and Iran are playing out their rivalry within the nation. There are still on going disputes between the central and Kurdistan regional government. Prime Minister Haider Abadi is trying to push major institutional reforms. To discuss these issues is Dr. Abbas Kadhim. He is a senior foreign policy fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and the president of the new Institute of Shia Studies. ...more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Reuters/Andrew Harnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Denis Balibouse) RT: *US Secretary of State Kerry going to Russia, set to meet Lavrov, Putin* US Secretary of State John Kerry is planning a trip to Sochi on Tuesday, where he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The three men are to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq and Syria. The trip has been confirmed by Russian and US officials. "This trip is part of our ongoing eff...more »

I became a teenage pothead by accident. I was about 15 when I hitchhiked from Brooklyn to L.A. to stow away on a ship and emigrate to Tonga. I got caught on a ship in San Pedro harbor and roughed up pretty bad and decided to go back to Brooklyn. I met pre-hippie beatnik types in Colorado on the way home and they were NOT reacting to the marijuana they were all smoking the way we learned people react to marijuana in school. They seemed like happy, well-adjusted people having a good time at life. Long story short-- I started smoking weed and by the time I was in college I was smokin...more »

An anti-Tory protest turns violent in the heart of London after the surprise Conservative win in the British general election. One protester and two law enforcement officials have been injured. RT's Harry Fear reports.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (L) arrives with his uncle King Salman (R) to greet U.S. President Barack Obama at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg *The Guardian:* *King Salman of Saudi Arabia pulls out of US talks on Iran* *Barack Obama hoped to use summit at White House and Camp David to reassure Saudi monarch about nuclear deal with Iran* *King Salman of Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from a carefully orchestrated summit with the US that President Barack Obama hoped would assuage Gulf anxieties about the conclusion of a...more »

A number of authors (Good Jobs First, David Cay Johnston, me, and me, among others) have pointed out that data centers (aka server farms) in the United States create very few jobs, yet receive state and local government subsidies that routinely exceed $1 million per job. I'm sure you already know that numbers like those make me ill: the typical automobile assembly plant will receive $150,000 or so per job, and require all sorts of component facilities to feed it -- though, sadly, economic development officials often given incentives to the supplier plants as well. So why $1 million ...more »

Now that we have a final answer to the body shown in the Not Roswell Slides, it is time to end the madness. There isn’t much more to be said. After two or three years of this nonsense that involved nondisclosure agreements, secrecy and a trickling of information into the public arena, the situation was put to rest in just a few hours. Once good quality scans, with a proper, established provenance were available, the placard was read with little difficulty and the location of the mummy identified. I will note that Mesa Verde is not all that far from the New Mexico border or all that ...more »

*Does this guy take his cues from Tel Aviv? Love how all the pretense is dropping away in complete transparency of what is... Saudi Arabia has been very active in funding the chaos in its neighbor Yemen as well as funding ISIS along with Qatar and Kuwait. -AK* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/10/king-salman-gulf-nation-summit_n_7252702.html *Saudi King Salman Will Miss Gulf Nation Summit In The U.S.* AP Posted: 05/10/2015 4:27 pm EDT Updated: 05/10/2015 5:59 pm EDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's King Salman will not attend a Camp David summit of U.S. and allie...more »

*Defense News/AFP*: *Djibouti President: China Negotiating Horn of Africa Military Base* *DJIBOUTI — China is negotiating a military base in the strategic port of Djibouti, the president told AFP, raising the prospect of US and Chinese bases side-by-side in the tiny Horn of Africa nation.* *"Discussions are ongoing," President Ismail Omar Guelleh told AFP in an interview in Djibouti, saying Beijing's presence would be "welcome."* *Djibouti is already home to Camp Lemonnier, the US military headquarters on the continent, used for covert, anti-terror and other operations in Yemen, S...more »

*UK: Boarding schools told to introduce gender-neutral uniforms to prevent LBGT bullying* Boarding schools in the UK may soon adopt gender-neutral uniforms in order to prevent discrimination against LGBT students. At a conference with the Boarding Schools Administration on Wednesday, Elly Barnes, a writer and LGBT Schools Advisor, explained that schools need to be more LGBT-friendly - even when it comes to their dress code. She told the Independent: 'If it's all right for a girl to wear trousers, why should a boy not be allowed to wear a skirt. We should be giving them the option...more »

By Brenda Norrell Censored News Update: 'World concerned over racial discrimination in the US' http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2015/05/un-world-concerned-over-racial.html The United Nations Human Rights Council reviewed the United States human rights record today. The US lied about its spying. The US responded that the US "doesn't collect intelligence to suppress dissents or to give U.S.

*Centralized motions of aligned entities collect Higher Cosmics and transmit to Gaia collective* by ÉirePort Centralized motions of aligned entities collect Higher Cosmics and transmit to Gaia collective. Portals of assistance have opened for all Gaia inhabitants. Freshenings are experienced among Hue-manity and hu-manity, although some are not conscious of the changes. Congealing of Inner Intents becomes the standard. ÉirePort | May 11, 2015 at 12:24 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-uU

http://thehealthcareblog.com/ It's no secret that Stephen Harper hates government. For almost a decade, he has worked maniacally to reduce the size and the scope of the federal government. At the same time, he has steadfastly refused to meet with the premiers. Somewhere along the line, he forgot that Canada is a federation. And, in the end, he may well have spawned a reaction he didn't foresee. Christopher Waddell writes that the NDP victory in Alberta may point the way to a massive shift in how Canada is governed: So, in reality, ...more »

*Warmism as the folly of the intellectuals* That scientists working in climate-related fields embrace Warmism is no surprise. The scare has produced a downpour of research grants into their grateful hands. And everybody likes $$$$. So that needs no further explanation. In law one often asks *cui bono?* (to whose beneft?) in deciding guilt or innocence so the same enquiry suggests why climate scientists nearly all have something good to say about Warmism. It would be rather amazing if they had anything bad to say about it. What DOES need explaining, however, is that academics ...more »

An acquaintance posted this to Facebook. Words fail me. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Marianne is headed for Gaza today Marianne of Gothenburg Marianne of Gothenburg left her home port at 7 pm on Sunday 10 May. The trawler, which has been jointly acquired by Ship to Gaza Sweden and Ship to Gaza Norway jointly, departed for a voyage of almost 5000 nautical miles towards the eastern Mediterranean and the blockaded Gaza Strip. Marianne will join other ships

Perhaps this is where the Malaysian and Senegalese troops come into play? Malaysia: Here, There, & Everywhere? Downed planes & Saudi Troops*SkyNews * Hours after Saudi Arabia forces and Houthi rebels traded heavy artillery fire, Saudi-owned media reported the country is sending a "strike force" to its border with Yemen. Al Arabiya Hadath TV broadcast pictures of a column of tanks loaded onto military trucks and described it as "the arrival of reinforcements from the strike force to the border". The fighting between Yemen's Shia rebels and Saudi forces in border areas came a day bef...more »

I'm a bit perplexed how it is Malaysia keeps coming up over and over. Not much of a country, really? Small. Interesting location, of course. Busy place according to wiki- "Today, Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked third largest in Southeast Asia and 29th largest in the world. It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement." *Pakistan wouldn't commit troops for th...more »

*Video - *Video - Watch how French television station Canal+ puts Dr. Patrick Moore into a hot seat when he asked the former environmentalist to prove the safety of Monsanto's weed killer Roundup by drinking a glass of it. The post This Proves How Dangerous Monsanto’s Weed Killer Is appeared first on Waking Times.

So, the RCMP referred to the peaceful "Idle No More" movement thusly; “This Idle No More Movement is like bacteria, it has grown a life of its own all across this nation,” wrote Russett, in the Dec.24, 2012, document which was based on events as of noon that day and sent at 1:17 p.m. “It may be advisable for all to have contingency plans in place, as this is one issue that is not going to go away.” Here's the NDP's Niki Ashton asking for an apology from the Department of Public Safety. How about that harpercon, Roxanne James 'eh? In the face of continued malign neglect (decades of...more »

Meta description for both blog and post for Blogger is disabled by default. It is good for SEO as well as increasing the chance that people searching for something related to your blog or posts will click on the search results to get to your blog and posts. With this default set, when you compose a post, you will not see an option to enter search description for a post and typically this screenshot would show the missing field for search description in the right sidebar of the post editor: [image: Blogger Search Description for post not enabled] You will see a change when you enabl...more »

*The kids in Taipei a decade ago.* Lazy Monday... ________________ *Daily Links*: - KMT Party Chairman Eric Chu says that whoever is the Party's presidential nominee must pay his own way -- no party money will be used. Thus Chu preserves funds for a 2020 run, while preventing anyone from squirreling away party funds to oppose him later. Or perhaps from wasting it in the month between the ending of the nomination process and Chu being "drafted" by the core of the KMT. Meanwhile, recall that Speaker of the Legislature,Wang Jin-pyng, whom Ma tried to destroy two ...more »

(Click on Image to Enlarge) *Seymour M. Hersh, London Review Of Books*: *The Killing of Osama bin Laden* *It’s been four years since a group of US Navy Seals assassinated Osama bin Laden in a night raid on a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The killing was the high point of Obama’s first term, and a major factor in his re-election. The White House still maintains that the mission was an all-American affair, and that the senior generals of Pakistan’s army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) were not told of the raid in advance. This is false, as are many other ...more »

[image: TALONS Concept]Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), seeks to give forward-deployed small ships the unprecedented capacity to serve as mobile launch and recovery platforms for medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial systems (UAS). These systems would provide long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other capabilities over greater distances and time periods than helicopters and would require far less dedicated infrastructure resources than conventional fixed-wing manned and unmanned aircraft. ...more »

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and South East Asia Network for Development (SEANET) hosted a forum on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) last May 7, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo below, from left: IDEAS' CEO Wan Saiful Wan Jan, US Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman, IDEAS Council Member Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid, and Head of Economics and Capital Markets at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Nurhisham Hussein. Below, good audience, SRO with high media coverage. Both photos from SEANET facebook page. The Star in KL reported ...more »

if I'm to believe my own press,* Free Planet* is supposed to know a lot about 9/11 New York and other conspiracies such as 7/7 London, right? Well, I'd missed this astonishing 3-hr 2012 critique/analysis of the events at/around the Pentagon on September 11th 2001 by former White House policy analyst, Barbara Honegger. Yes, it's three hours long, but don't fear. The time passes really fast as her information, let's call it 'her evidence', is riveting viewing that one might imagine could stand up in a court of law. LOL. She starts with the multiple plane-attack War Games active on ...more »

[image: Luftwaffe A-400M]Britain, Germany and Turkey grounded their Airbus A400M military transport planes Sunday after one crashed in Spain, killing four people, as authorities hailed passers-by who rescued two survivors. The pair, a mechanic and an engineer, were in stable but serious condition at hospitals in Seville, the capital of the southwestern region of Andalusia. The plane, due for delivery to the Turkish air force in June, crashed in a field just north of Seville's airport on Saturday after hitting a power line in an apparent attempt at an emergency landing. Read more

[image: Dassault Rafale]Terrorists, irrespective of wherever they may be operating from, should be neutralised using all types of methods, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told ET in an exclusive interview. He elaborated that "neutralisation" doesn't necessarily mean killing terrorists but making them "ineffective." Parrikar also criticised ex-BJP minister Arun Shourie, saying the latter "does not have the full brief on what is happening". Shourie had recently said the Narendra Modi government was faltering on policymaking and delivery. Responding to a question on how India should...more »

The BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32685844 that Graceless George Galloway is challenging the Bradford West election result. 'Former MP George Galloway has announced he has started legal proceedings to challenge his general election defeat. Mr Galloway, leader of the Respect Party, lost his Bradford West seat to Labour's Naz Shah, who he has alleged made "false statements" during the campaign to affect the result. He also claimed "widespread malpractice" involving postal voting meant the result must be "set aside".A Labour spokesman said the action was "pathetic and wit...more »

[image: Moroccan F-16 Fighting Falcons]A Moroccan F-16 fighter jet involved in Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrikes against the Iran-allied Houthi rebels went missing in Yemen Sunday, the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said in a statement early Monday. Morocco, which has joined several other Gulf countries that are conducting airstrikes against the rebels, has six F-16 warplanes stationed in the Unites Arab Emirates. "One of the F-16s of the Royal Armed Force (FAR) made at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen went missing on Sunday at ...more »

*BBC's HORIZON 2010 - who's afraid of a big black hole?* according to this HORIZON 2010-show re-run in aid of LiveWatch night, scientists at either end of the Physics Scale that covers both sub-atoms forces and mega-galactic forces are at Crisis Point. The physics breaks down. It's as simple as that: there's still no GUT or Grand Unified Theory and, "We need some new ideas about how our universe works." - *Light gets tired i.e. red-shifts over long time spans.* - *Space is so big and matter so rare across all the scales.* - *Forces that are responsible for the biggest struct...more »

The Philippines and Japan navies are set to hold naval drills in West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on Tuesday. Philippine Navy chief Jesus Millan said the joint exercise will practice the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea developed by western Pacific navies, including China, for the safety of vessels meeting at sea. The two navies will also practice on-ship helicopter operations and cross-deck training, and discuss naval practices. Read more

[image: Alborz (FS 72)]The Iranian 34th fleet, which was passing 30 miles distance from the Gulf of Aden, was encountered with the two destroyers which sought to breach the five-mile standard distance from the Islamic Republic’s fleet, but the Alborz destroyer warned them and they were forced to change their route, Fars news agency reported May 10. This is the second time over the current week that the Iranian 34th fleet warns US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden. On May 5, the US Navy's P-3C aircraft and the DDG-81 destroyer sought to breach the five-mile standard distance from the Is...more »

[image: Haijing patrol boat (2350)]By introducing larger and more heavily armed vessels into service, China is turning its coast guard into the nation's second navy, according to a US naval intelligence as cited on US military website Strategy Page. China built, launched or put into commission at least 60 warships in the year 2014. Such a trend is likely to continue between 2015 and 2016, according to the report. Under China's naval buildup plan, the PLA Navy will have several aircraft carriers, 26 destroyers, 52 frigates, 20 corvettes, 85 missile armed patrol boats, 56 amphibious ...more »

[image: Formidable class FFG]The Singapore Navy is not resting on its laurels, even as it celebrates 48 years of keeping Singapore's waters secure. Facing tightening manpower demographics in an increasingly complex maritime climate, it is adopting several changes to strengthen its numbers. The Military Domain Experts Scheme started five years ago as a means of retaining servicemen with deep expertise. It is also a possible mid-career entry point, for those mulling a career in uniform. Currently, mid-careerists make up about 10 per cent of those on the scheme. Read more

[image: Type 041 (Yuan) class SSK]As Prime Minister is preparing to pay his maiden visit to Beijing (as Prime Minister), it necessary to come back on another visit, President Xi Jinping’s trip to Pakistan and the enormity of the ‘gifts’ that Chinese President brought in his luggage as he landed in Islamabad. The Washington Post remarked: “Xi arrived in Islamabad bearing real gifts: an eye-popping $46 billion worth of planned energy and infrastructure investment to boost Pakistan’s flagging economy. This would include adding some 10,400 megawatts to Pakistan’s national grid through ...more »

[image: A poster of the film Human Harvest depicts a meditating Falun Gong practitioner, with prices attached to her organs. (Flying Cloud Productions)] At this point absolutely nobody can claim ignorance unlike what was seen when the Holocaust was underway. It has just gone on too long. Please note that there is no attention paid to real criminals who we can be sure are still been utilized. And once you accept all that as business as usual it is merely a case of relabeling to run someone else through the system as the doctors need not know. What is clear is that we have unwill...more »

What rings true here is that learning a language does not have to be difficult but it must be a focused one on one process even with another student who knows as little as you. Two people need to dedicate a time space every day to master the language.. Course work and all that is an actual extra that allows you to get more out of your work but it is not necessary. It may also help initially to structure readings into the sessions in order to gain facility with pronunciation. Just doing that back and forth for an hour will allow you mouth to gain muscle knowledge. My point i...more »

US policy think-tank Brookings Institution confirms that contrary to propaganda, US-Saudi "moderates" and Turkey-Qatar "Islamists" have been coordinating all along. *May 11, 2015* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The war in Syria continues to drag on, with a recent and renewed vigor demonstrated behind an opposition long portrayed as fractured and reflecting a myriad of competing foreign interests. Chief among these competing interests, the public has been told, were the US and Saudis on one side, backing so-called "moderate rebels," and Turkey and Qatar on the other openly backing Al Qa...more »

[image: K-300P Bastion]The Tuoi Tre reporter visited the 681 Coastal Defense Missile Brigade around the 60th birthday of the Vietnam People's Navy (May 7). The brigade is stationed in the south-central province of Binh Thuan and it operates the Bastion-P missile system, one of the world’s most advanced coastal defense projectiles. Apart from Russia, the Bastion-P producer, only Vietnam and Syria own such missiles. Read more

[image: P-8A Poseidon]David Cameron and George Osborne will be persuaded to part with the cash to buy a fleet of jets to hunt Vladimir Putin's nuclear submarines, which have regularly been patrolling the coast of Britain in recent months. Often the Russian underwater vessels have only been discovered after colliding with private boats and now Government ministers are eager to plug the gap in defences with aircraft to track them. Around a dozen top of the range planes will be bought for the RAF over the next two years. Read more

*Long War Journal*: *Taliban claims it shot down Pakistani helicopter, displays SAM-7* *The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan claimed it shot down a Pakistani Army helicopter that was transporting foreign diplomats in the northern part of the country yesterday, and released a video showing its fighters training on a SAM-7 anti-aircraft missile to support its claim. The Pakistani government has vehemently denied the aircraft was shot down, and has stated that it crashed due to engine failure.The Pakistani Army Mi-17 was part of a convoy of three helicopters that were transporti...more »

The Moroccan F-16 was reportedly hit by ground fire while conducting a mission over Yemen [YouTube] *Reuters*: *Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition in Yemen goes missing* *A Moroccan F-16 warplane taking part in the Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting in Yemen went missing on Sunday, the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said in a statement.* *Backed by the United States, a Saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against the Houthis and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26 with the aim of restoring the government of President Abd-Rabbu...more »

*Reuters*: *Houthis accept five-day truce in Yemen proposed by Saudi Arabia* *Yemen's dominant Houthi group accepted a five-day humanitarian ceasefire proposed by its adversary Saudi Arabia on Sunday but said it would respond to any violations of the pause.* *Neighbouring Saudi Arabia had said on Friday that the ceasefire could begin on Tuesday if the Iranian-allied militia agreed to the pause, which would let in badly needed food and medical supplies.* *Backed by the United States, a Saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against the Houthis and army units loyal to e...more »

Welcome to Meet & Greet, a regular series designed to grow our green community. [image: A monthly link-up party for green blogs on Reduce Footprints] Banner by Art Ist Grab our banner for your site: For 2015, Meet & Greet will operate a bit differently than previous years. This year, I'll be...more »

*BBC:* *Macedonia blames Kosovans for deadly Kumanovo clashes* *Macedonia says five Kosovans led the armed group which was involved in deadly clashes with security forces in the northern town of Kumanovo.Eight officers and 14 gunmen were killed in the fighting, Interior ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.Those named were members of the now dismantled Kosovo Liberation Army.Mr Kotevski said the operation near the Serbian-Kosovan border was now over and the armed group had been "neutralised", with a large amount of weapons seized.Last month, about 40 ethnic Albanians from ...more »

Earlier this week, Kayvon Afshari, communications director for the American Iranian Council, appeared on Another Thing with veteran broadcaster Larry Mendte to discuss the state of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and the prospect, in the face of powerful opposition, of a final deal being reached in the coming weeks. While Afshari's pro-diplomacy optimism was backed up by important

SAVE MALAYSIA Written by Zaid Ibrahim http://www.zaid.my/current/save-malaysia/ UMNO president and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak is about to be replaced by his enemies in the party. Whilst spending my weekend in a small Japanese village near Tomakomai in Hokkaido, Japan, I received a call from an UMNO source that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was meeting UMNO bigwigs including Tun Daim Zainuddin, Dato’ Seri Nazri Aziz and Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed in Italy to discuss handing over the premiership to Muhyiddin. I don’t know if this meeting will ultimately result in Najib being replac...more »

*Daily Mail:* *The real navy seals: Siberian aquatic army don military gear and perform 'rifle tricks' for 70th anniversary of the Allied win in the Second World War* * Circus in Siberia train seals to use 'rifles' and shoot waterguns * Video shows the mammals salute their 'commander' and march * Performance coincide with 70th anniversary of Allied WWII victory A circus in Siberia have trained their seals to perform a special routine for this weekend's Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. A video shows the two seals - dressed in military headgear - raising a flag and shooting at ta...more »

*The Guardian:* *Nato kicks out Russian spies but revives Kremlin hotline amid Ukraine tensions* *Western military alliance expels dozens of suspected Russian spies from Nato headquarters while upgrading emergency military contacts with Moscow* *The western military alliance is reviving cold war-style hotlines to the Kremlin and the Russian general staff in Moscow to reduce the chances of escalating military confrontation and miscalculation as the Ukraine conflict fuels east-west tension.* *While seeking to boost military contacts with the Russians, Nato has also moved to rid its ...more »

Members of the armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic drive a tank on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, in this January 22, 2015 file photo. Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko/Files *Reuters:* *Special Report: Russian soldiers quit over Ukraine * *Some Russian soldiers are quitting the army because of the conflict in Ukraine, several soldiers and human rights activists have told Reuters. Their accounts call into question the Kremlin's continued assertions that no Russian soldiers have been sent to Ukraine, and that any Russians fighting alongside rebels...more »

*From YouTube*: South Vietnamese Air Force Pilot, Major Ly Bung, "in his own words", of his frightful flight and perilous landing on USS Midway, 30 April 1975. *WNU Editor:* Hat Tip to OFS for this incredible story.

*In the new cabinet Prime Minister Cameron announces in the morning, MP Priti Patel (right) is expected to be one of a group of women considerably expanding the current ranks, which include Education Secretary Nicky Morgan (left) and Home Secretary Theresa May (center). The Telegraph reports that the reshuffled cabinet will be a full third female, with higher-profile roles for some election "stars."* *"Want to win from the left? Be left-wing. Offer a real alternative to neo-liberalism."* *-- Ian Welsh, on the rout of the U.K.'s Labour Party,in his Thursday night post on Thursday'...more »

There's a renewed urgency among AFT/NEA/NPE bagmen like Peter Goodman and Steven Singer to sell, once more, the big nasty ESEA bolus that Congress is now trying to dump on the American electorate. One version from the Senate gives all the federal money to charter schools, and the other version from the House gives all the money to charters AND vouchers. Big difference, right? Both preserve federal testing every year, and each is written by either the progressive wing or the conservative wing of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. And yet Singer pretends to believe, or maybe he is stupi...more »

“This popular group is famous as the Leo Triplet - a gathering of three magnificent galaxies in one field of view. Crowd pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, they can be introduced individually as NGC 3628 (left), M66 (bottom right), and M65 (top). *Click image for larger size.* All three are large spiral galaxies but they tend to look dissimilar because their galactic disks are tilted at different angles to our line of sight. NGC 3628 is seen edge-on, with obscuring dust lanes cutting across the plane of the galaxy, while the disks of M66 and M65 are both inclined enou...more »

History lesson: In 1972 and again in 1976, the Beltway's conservative Democratic Establishment had found its man. The preferred candidate of the careerist hacks in DC was socially conservative Washington Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, who called himself the voice of those Democrats who didn't want "to make abortion, gay liberation and the legalization of marijuana the primary issues of the country." Jackson was a leader of the "Stop McGovern" cabal of right-wing Democrats and was instrumental in feeding the press all the "acid, amnesty and abortion" nonsense about McGovern. Jackso...more »

An avid reader of this blog, contacted me and suggested these very interesting links about schools and about learning: Authoritarian Schooling: A Catalogue of Damage compiled by David Gribble Annenberg Learner: Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum Meaningful Learning Research Group Articles How we confuse symbols and things Student Alternative

Vangelis, “Alpha” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jG--3elufo *"The March Of Humanity"* by Horace P. Biddle "What can we know? What are we all? Poor silly half-brained things peering out at the infinite, with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts." - Arthur Conan Doyle

*"Cosmic Silence"* by Chet Raymo "I've mentioned here before that the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope would give us an Ultra Ultra Deep Field Photograph, the deepest look yet into cosmic space and time. As I calculate it, it would take 16 million Hubble Ultra Deep Field Photographs to cover the entire celestial sphere. At 10,000 galaxies per photograph, we are talking 160 billion galaxies that the same application of technology might potentially reveal. Having taken aboard a universe of 160 billion galaxies, how would I answer the BIG questions? *Who am I?* With Walt Whitman I ...more »

"We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity." Paulo Coelho, "The Alchemist"

So, what about that British election then, eh? Three party leaders resigned, two parties that went anti-immigrant were told by voters to piss off, and pollsters by the bucketload had their faces dowsed with egg. There as here, Labour’s class warfare rhetoric has failed spectacularly, and the non-specific and insubstantial bland mouthings of a “brighter future” under Blue statists rolled out so successfully by NZ’s National Socialist proved almost as successful in Britain – and as recommended by the same advisers. Always great to see the sensational political losers we’ve been d...more »

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I've been 'around' for a few years now, pursuing the shifting goal of a sharable home-made surfers resource site focused on ease of use and variety of mostly adult ( whoa : I didn't say prurient ) content.